Luther began his religious career as a devout monk in the established Roman Catholic Church. However, as his religious thought matured it began to change.
Martin Luther's Early Works
Luther began to see hypocrisies, and structural problems within the church's hierarchy. In 1520 he published three pamphlets explaining his criticisms and ideas for reform. These writings were outright criticism of the church and an obvious break with its doctrine. The documents are:
- An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility
- The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
- The Freedom of a Christian
To understand the significance of these documents, it is necessary to understand what transpired before their publication.
The Leipzig Debate
The Leipzig debate in 1519 brought Luther's controversial beliefs to the forefront of the religious scene. The subject of the debate was to be the sale of indulgences, but Johann Eck, Luther's opponent, brought up many new issues which resulted in Luther making heretical and near heretical statements. As a consequence, he was identified as a heretic along with John Huss.
This debate was a critical event in the Reformation, because it motivated Luther to study Huss' works and found that he agreed with many of them. This study further clarified his own views. Luther also found himself being encouraged by his friend Spalatin to spell out his views on the sacraments and further clarify the position he had taken in Leipzeg.
Luther's An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility
Letter to the Christian Nobility was published in August of 1520 and was a definite political statement. It called for widespread and very specific changes to the church; "to be laid before the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, in the hope that it may deign to help His Church through the efforts of the laity, since the clergy...have grown quite indifferent." It consisted of 27 proposals and introduced Luther's attitude toward the way the church maintained power.
Luther's The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
Babylonian Captivity was published in October of 1520. In this work Luther clarified his stance on the sacraments, rejecting the sacraments of confirmation, marriage, holy order, and extreme unction. This was the first time that Luther wrote of his opposition to the papacy, though he claimed he had not fallen away from Rome or pope Leo X.
Luther's The Freedom of a Christian
The Freedom of a Christian appeared in November of 1520 and was dedicated to Leo X, as a sort of peace offering. This work was an abstract of the outcome of theology for the living of a Christian life; basically salvation by faith.
In these three documents, Luther presents his theology clearly: Scripture as the authority, and salvation by grace through faith.
The Beginning of the Lutheran Reformation
As a result of his writings and actions, such as burning the papal bull of excommunication, Luther was summoned to Worms in 1521 by Emperor Charles V to face charges of heresy and treason. Charles issued the Edict of Worms on May 25, 1521, banning Luther's works and labeling him a heretic and a criminal. But too many had read, or heard of his views for condemnation to be enforced. The Lutheran Reformation was well under way.
Sources:
Kittleson, James M. Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and his Career. [Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis. 1986]
Lull, Timothy F, ed. Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings. [Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 1989]
